


So Close, Yet So Far

by YellowDizzyLombax



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Love, M/M, Romance, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-31 21:57:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1036830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowDizzyLombax/pseuds/YellowDizzyLombax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The universe has been saved, but at the cost of a life. Ratchet lived in grief, wanting back what was taken away, but sometimes that lead into something he couldn't escape out of. R/A</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Discovery

**So Close, Yet So Far  
I DO NOT OWN RATCHET AND CLANK, INSOMNIAC GAMES DOES!  
Pairing: Ratchet/Alister**

**Chapter 1: Discovery**

It happened just like that. One moment the whole chamber was filled with brain-shattering noise, and the next everything was silent - only the sounds of ticking clocks were heard. Wires were hanging everywhere with sparks of electricity spitting out of the snapped ends. Pieces of sharp glass were scattered around the smashed or cracked floor. It was lucky that the universe was back to its original timeline. If it wasn't, then a tiny rip within space would have exploded and destroyed everything in its path.

Why did all of this take place? An elder Lombax wanted to change time; to fix a mistake he made years ago, one that almost wiped his race, the Lombaxes, out completely. However, it wasn't all his fault. The back-stabbing Cragmite, known as Percival Tachyon, used Lombax technology to attack the Lombaxes when he said he was going to use the technology for the greater good.

Luckily, the Lombaxes used a machine called the Dimensionator to escape the evil clutches of the Cragmite. Only two stayed behind, the Keeper of the Dimensionator and his newborn son, Ratchet. The other elder Lombax, who granted Tachyon the Lombax technology, was exiled so he was not allowed to join the others in the new dimension.

The Keeper of the Dimensionator sent his son to a safe planet in the Solana Galaxy as he went to fight the Cragmite, unfortunately he ended up being defeated.

The exiled elder went to live on a new planet, Torren IV. For the rest of his time, he stayed there, grieving over what happened. It was about twenty years later until he came across another Lombax - a young one - who reminded him of a certain someone: the Keeper. It was his best friend's son, Ratchet, who was on the search for his robotic pal, Clank, who went missing two years ago.

They teamed up after learning that Clank could be in this place known as the Great Clock. Fast forward time, and both Lombaxes found the robot, defeated the villain and headed to the Clock. When the young Lombax didn't agree that the Clock should be used to save the Lombaxes, the elder's rage built up and attacked the other duo. They all raced to the Orvus Chamber, where time could be controlled, however the elder got there first and pulled the lever in the centre of the room.

The younger tried to move time back where it should have been, only to accidentally break the switch from the pressure. A sudden click in the other Lombax's mind made him realise that he was wrong; the Great Clock wasn't went to be used as a time machine. So, to fix this mistake, he sacrificed himself to save the universe. A white explosion sent Ratchet and Clank off of their feet, but waited until everything cleared up before getting up.

That's why the Clock was in a huge mess.

Ratchet's ears were still ringing from the loud sounds that suddenly stopped. Carefully, he lifted up his head and shook it a few times; his vision was still a little blurry. He looked to the side to see that Clank was okay but worry filled his green eyes as he asked if Ratchet was alright himself. The Lombax nodded, but when he glanced over his shoulder his heart sunk into his stomach.

Laying there on the floor was the elder Lombax, also known as General Alister Azimuth. He didn't move. His white ears weren't up straight like they use to be. His hand was stretched out in front of him, and something round was by his limb, it looked like a pocketwatch. He looked completely lifeless.

Slowly getting to his feet, even though his legs felt like jelly, he made his way over to the fallen elder. Stopping a foot away from the other, a knelt down and picked up the round object. Now that he was close enough, he could tell that the object was indeed a pocketwatch, the one with a picture of Azimuth and Ratchet's father in it. Tears glazed over emerald eyes but refused to fall, especially when Clank was still in the Chamber. His watery eyes flickered to the white Lombax, wanting to hug him for comfort but knew that would only make him more upset, instead he closed the pocketwatch and lowered his head in respect.

It was a few days later until the Great Clock was repaired, using thousands of Zoni hands' help it was quite possible. However, this was the day Clank was staying at the Clock to carry on with his father's work. The duo said their last good-byes, and after that Ratchet began to walk back to Aphelion.

The young Lombax climbed into his ship without effort. As he sat down a couple of tears rolled down his cheeks which were quickly rubbed away, not wanting any more to break forth. He took one more view of the Great Clock before closing his eyes for a second. When they opened again, he pushed a button on the dashboard to turn the engines on. He gripped the steering wheel as the hatch was closing.

Just as the hatch was about to shut, a small two foot robot jumped into the ship, landing in the passenger seat. The sound of the robot hitting the chair, made Ratchet jump a little. His head turned to the side to see Clank smiling at him, reassuring him that he was coming along. The Lombax returned the smile.

Clank laid back into the seat, as Ratchet grinned, taking off into space. It was about five minutes later until that grin on Ratchet's face was replaced with a frown. His robot pal knew something was on his mind, the look on the young hero's face said it all. After loosing the closest person he had to a father, or so he thought, broke a pipe within Ratchet; it was only a certain amount of time until he was so built up with water that it all would have to be let out. The Lombax was not one to cry but after the events at the Clock, it could now be possible.

They both had small conversations about what happened over the past two years. Clank stayed away from the subject of their last adventures, just for the other's sake. So he asked things like if Talwyn, Cronk, Zephyr, Qwark, and everyone else was okay. Ratchet said they were all fine. Clank then asked if he was alright.

The golden Lombax swallowed and then put on a smile, trying to make it real as much as he could. "Sure I am. Don't worry about me pal." His vision then focused on the path ahead of him. And then the conversation ended there. It was another few hours until they reached their place back on Veldin in the Solana Galaxy.

The duo stepped inside the garage of what they called home. Ratchet rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from his friend. "I'll be in my room if you need me." His hand lowered to his side before he made his way to his bedroom.

As the door was shut behind him, his ears fell straight away and his shoulders slouched. The built up tears came forth and started to soak his face. He collapsed onto his bed, buried his face into his pillows, and began to sob loudly - letting everything out. "Why? Why did you have to leave? We... We could have..." His sentence drifted off there knowing that it could never of happened. His fingers curled into the pillow's fabric. Why didn't he tell him earlier?

Clank was sitting in the open living room, watching some Secret Agent Clank to relax. However, he was disturbed by the sound of crying. His sensors picked them up behind Ratchet's bedroom door. He looked worried at the door as his friend's sobbing only grew louder. Turning off the TV, he jumped off of the couch and walked up to the other's door.

Knocking was heard at his door, which made him left his head up and look over at where the sound was coming from. He sighed. He didn't want to talk right now, especially in the state he was in, but he didn't want to concern Clank even more that he properly was. He gradually got up and opened the door again but this time sniffling and had damp fur around his eyes and down his cheeks. He knelt, or rather sunk, on the floor and hugged Clank on the spot. "He d-didn't w-want to do anything wrong! H-He just wanted t-to s-see his best friend again! And... And I-I was only trying to s-s-save him... but he didn't l-listen, t-thinking I wouldn't want a-anything to be f-fixed." He said with a shaky, crackled voice.

His small metallic hand rubbed Ratchet's shoulder, seeing as he couldn't exactly reach the other's back very well, giving him comfort as he felt tears roll down his metal back. He sighed to himself. He hoped over time the Lombax's wounds would stitch up, however long it took, he just didn't want to see his best friend in this horrible collapsing world of his.

Later that night, Ratchet rolled around in his bed. He was tired but couldn't get to sleep - too many things on his mind. Or rather it was focused mainly on one particular person. His emerald eyes glanced up at his night table, spotting the elder's pocketwatch that he kept to remind him of the General and his father.

He sat up on the edge of his bed, and picked up the watch to open it and look inside. His eyebrows knitted together in misery. A few tears crept forth as he bit his lower lip. Why did the universe had to work like this? It wasn't fair! He didn't have to be taken away! He did nothing wrong!

The younger fell off of the bed and landed on his knees. "WHY?!" He yelled at the top of his voice, his tears following not far behind. He arched his back, curling up into a ball, sobbing all his heart out. "You stubborn, idiot... It didn't have to be this way..." He mumbled to himself.

He was surprised that Clank didn't hear him scream, most properly from being in hibernation. Or maybe he did but didn't want to bring the subject up as his friend knew it would only make him even more upset.

Ratchet wasn't even going to bother to try and get some rest - he'd been doing that for the past couple of hours. So instead, he stepped out of his bedroom and sat on the couch in nothing but his sleeping shorts. His forearms lent on his knees as he rubbed his face, covering his whole face with his big hands. He then lowered one hand and the other ran through his head fur.

He perked in the same spot of a least half an hour - just thinking to himself - until he heard light footsteps appear into the living room. His ears twitched to the familiar sound of Clank's voice. "Ratchet, what are you doing up this early in the morning?"

Turning his face to the side slightly, he was met with bright green eyes looking at him in concern. He scratched behind his ear - he wasn't going to lie. "Well... I couldn't sleep. So, I thought I'd stay up for a little while before trying to catch some rest again. What about you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

It was true; Clank was up a few hours earlier than he normally was, but he was needed somewhere. "Sigmund called me not too long ago. He asked if I could go to the Great Clock and speak with him about something... strange that is happening."

Golden ears perked up. "'Strange'? What did he mean by that?"

"I am unsure. But he would like me to be there urgently. You could come or stay if you like, I do not mind what you choose."

His ears lowered again as he sighed. "I... I think I'll stay. But thanks for asking, pal." Ratchet half-smiled. As Clank was about the leave, the younger quickly asked, "But I could drop you off. If ya like." If it meant he could wonder around space for a little while after taking Clank to the Clock, then he'd take the chance.

The robot turned around. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Course I am." He ran into his bedroom, shouting back, "I'll just put something on first!" He searched for his Holoflux armour and then started to get dressed once he found it. He took his weapons and gadgets with him too, just encase something was to happen on the way there or back.

Once the duo were back inside the ship, they flew out of the planet's atmosphere and headed for their next destination: the Great Clock. It took several hours until the place they were looking for was in sight. Ratchet fought back the water filling up behind his eyes, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened. A knot formed in his stomach as they got closer and closer. The next thing he knew, the ship was landed and Clank was about to climb out.

"If there is anything you need, call Sigmund. If something is wrong, let us know." Clank told Ratchet straight. He did trust the Lombax, but when his curios instincts kicked in, he was gone.

The other had to chuckled lightly at that, even though he was taken aback from his serious tone. "I'll be fine. Trust me. And if anything happens to _you_ , call _me_. Okay?" When Clank nodded, he let him get out and off of the ship before watching him walk inside the Clock.

Taking off again, Ratchet took a slow journey back to Veldin. Just as he was going through the different planets on the screen in the dashboard, a certain planet's name stood out that made him freeze: Torren IV. He didn't move for a good two minutes - unsure what to do. Should he? But then he'd properly get really emotional... One the other hand, a visit there couldn't hurt too much, right? Pondering about it for a while, Ratchet then made up his mind and punched in the coordinates to the planet.

The trip there was very short, which didn't give the young one a lot of time to calm his feelings. He just wanted one last sight of it, even if it could be his last time there, he just needed to go there. Who knows, maybe it could make him feel less lonely?

The planet came into view which Ratchet tried to shake off certain feelings pulling at him. His ship entered the atmosphere, landing not far from where he wanted to go. It was about a five - ten minute walk, plenty of time to think things through. Jumping out of Aphelion, he started to make his way to the building of Alister's home.

Everything was pretty much the same as he walked. The same junk laying around, same plain looking grass, same hot temperature. Everything... Well, almost everything. Ratchet frowned, shaking his head to try and knock out those thoughts. The robot-looking house came into view as the Lombax made his way to the entrance. He pushed in the pin-code to open the door - Alister had told him it when they were working together, Ratchet never asked why though - and he stepped inside.

The door was shut behind him. Silence fell throughout the whole place. Emerald eyes scanned the area around him, nothing was different; the blueprints and paperwork looked like they were in the same place last time he came here. He strolled further into the house, just taking a quick tour as he didn't have much of one last time. He checked the kitchen, living room, bathroom, store room, and of course, the bedroom. There only seemed to be one bedroom but it had a huge bed waiting inside - tempting Ratchet.

The clock, which was still working, read 6:45pm. His eyes grew wide. Time had flown past, maybe the trip to Torren IV was longer than he thought. But then the trip to Solana to Polaris did take up an extremely long time.

The bed started to call out for him, seemed like sleepiness was catching up on him quicker than he thought. Without taking a second thought, especially with his half-asleep brain, he collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep once in a comfortable position.

Hours slipped past, more than he thought did. However, the more time went, the less of a deep sleep Ratchet was in. His ears twitched to light sounds that were made by animals outside, things like crickets and the such. He nuzzled into the super soft pillows his head was resting on while slightly smiling. Familiar scents filled his nose every time he breathed inwards, making his sleep even more wonderful.

However, all of this was disturbed by a loud crash, that sounded like it came from within the kitchen, jumping Ratchet awake in fright. This resulted him falling off the bed, with a yelp, and landing on the floor in a heap. Gradually getting up, he blinked a few times, trying to get use to the darkness once more. He brought out his wrench - assuming it was a looter, and crept his way to the kitchen.

He carefully opened the bedroom door, trying not to make any sound, and crouched along the hallway wall. Everything was mainly in pitch black, so Ratchet had to squint his eyes to help him see small details as to where to go. He came at the end of the hall, to then see some light from around the corner coming from the kitchen. He lent against the wall, breathing heavily, gripping onto his wrench.

He then rolled into the light, stood up and raised his wrench above his head. The sight of the intruder made him freeze. His whole body couldn't move. His legs felt like jelly again. His heart rate increased. Sweat ran down his face. Eye grew wider and wider until they wouldn't open any more. His fingers became numb, letting his wrench slip out of them and clatter to the floor, startling the person in the room.


	2. Breegus Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **The universe has been saved, but at the cost of a life. Ratchet lived in grief, wanting back what was taken away, but sometimes that lead into something he couldn't escape out of. R/A**

**Ratchet and Alister:  
** So Close, Yet So Far  
Pairing: Ratchet/Alister

 

**Chapter 2: Breegus Tea**

Damn, did his head hurt. It pounded like mad, so bad that he couldn't remember what happened last; but then it felt like something cold was on his forehead, like a damp cloth. He didn't even know where he was now, but everything around him felt comfy. The majority of his body was surrounded by warm, soft materials up to his chin.

His eyes felt so heavy, they wouldn't even flicker the slightest bit. But he wanted to see. To see where he was. Maybe they wouldn't open because he felt too distant still, even after waking up. He needed to recollect his senses. Gradually, his fingers started twitching, as well as his tail and ears. His nose picked up those familiar scents again, but he still couldn't quite tell what it was. He exhaled deeply; everything was so peaceful. However, he had to get up.

"Nuuggghhh..." Eyelids flickered lightly eventually, trying to open even though they felt tired and sticky. Slowly, emeralds appeared a little but his vision was blurry. After a few moments, everything cleared up, showing that he was back in the General's bedroom. His eyes looked down a bit to only see a few blankets over his small-framed body.

A hand was taken out from under the covers, to be raised to his forehead. His fingers felt some sort of wet cloth or something. They lowered again, deciding to keep the cloth on his head to calm the painful throbbing. _Was that just a dream...? But then... how did this cloth get here...?_

Ratchet gripped the blankets and pulled them up slightly after noticing that his arm and hand was bare. He spotted that he was in nothing but his boxers; swallowing - and also going a little red in the cheeks - he slowly put the covers back down. _...And I certainly don't remember taking my armour off..._ He saw his armour folded in a neat pile at the end of the bed on the other side; even his cap, gloves, and protection pads were there.

His fingers curled at a sudden thought. _But... How could it be possible...?_

Before any further thoughts could be added, the bedroom door started to open gradually and quietly. Green eyes glanced over to the door - hesitating at first - but quickly closed his eyes again and laid back down; acting as if he was still asleep.

The figure of an elder Lombax, who was holding a cup of tea, stepped into the room. His amber eyes looked over to Ratchet, a frown hushing over his lips, but still started to walk in. He reached the bed, setting the cup on the night stand. He sat down on the edge of the bed, glancing down at the younger with lowered-lids and a dead-panned face expression. He took the cloth off Ratchet's head, laying the back of his fingers on his forehead - feeling how hot he was.

His frown grew. Standing back up, the Lombax walked out of the room, heading for the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later, this time holding a small bowl with cold water and a new cloth.

The bowl was placed on the night table too before he sat back down on the bed. He dunked the material in the water, wringing out the extra water, then dabbed the cloth on Ratchet's forehead. He would do this many times throughout the day, making sure the other wouldn't overheat.

Suddenly he stopped. Swallowing, he pulled his hand back again. A shaky sigh escaped his mouth. A few minutes passed before he turned his upper body to wet the cloth again.

All that time, Ratchet just laid there as quietly as possible. With a million or more thoughts rushing in his mind, it was rather difficult. But he still kept pretending to sleep. He listened for noises, and by the sounds of it, the other was wetting that fabric thing again. _Now or never it seems..._ Slowly, he opened his eyes again, making it look like he had just woken up.

The older Lombax was wringing out the material once more; his back slightly turned to Ratchet so they couldn't see each other's faces. "Finally awake, are we?" He carried on with what he was doing.

Emerald eyes grew wide a little in surprise. _How did he...?_

Amber eyes looked over his shoulder - not much emotions in his eyes or face. "I knew you were awake in the first place." He turned his head back, paying attention on folding the slightly wet fabric.

 _...What...?_ How did he know that? Unless he's really good at spotting things like that. Ratchet was also a little shocked at the way the elder looked. _His expression..._ A shiver ran through his body. _...What's up with the General...? He wasn't like this before..._

Azimuth faced the younger again, laying the cloth back over Ratchet's forehead. He pulled down the covers a little so the other wouldn't get too hot - not noticing the golden Lombax blush the slightest bit. "Just... rest, okay? You hit your head pretty badly when you fainted."

The young Lombax didn't say anything. All he did was stare at the elder, unsure on what to do and say. He still couldn't believe that Alister was here and right in front of him, looking after him and making sure he was all right. Or... Was he dreaming all of this? His body tensed up. He hoped not.

He noticed the other's actions. "Look... This may be hard for you with seeing me again after... what happened... but, I'm here now. I'm not going to leave if you need me to stay..." He didn't want to scare Ratchet, only to make him feel comfortable with what was going on. Reassuring him that everything was fine.

Tears were felt building up. Fingers curled into the blankets. _He's not gonna... leave...? It's like he knows what I want most..._ Suddenly, he sat up and wrapped his arms around Alister's chest, burying his head in the other's upper chest; finally letting the tears fall. He just wanted a certain someone to hold onto for comfort - and thankfully that certain person was in front of him.

Azimuth jumped from surprise a bit, glancing down at the Lombax hugging him with slightly wide eyes; not knowing what to do a first. Silence filled the atmosphere around them for a few long moments, before he spoke up. "...R-Ratchet...?"

He said nothing. Only cried silently.

The General stayed sitting there very stiff - swallowing again. Gradually, he brought his own arms loosely, not tightly, around Ratchet's back. "..." Then his hand and fingers started to stroke the back of the younger's head, trying to calm him down. "...It's okay, Ratchet... I... I'm sorry for what happened... I promise it won't happen again..."

Ratchet managed a small, gentle smile at the arms around him and the stroking on his head, but most importantly of what Alister had said. He wanted to hear that a million times, over and over again, to sooth him. Slowly, the tears finally came to a stop.

Azimuth pulled back once the other had stopped crying. Using his thumbs, he began to rub away the tears off of Ratchet's cheeks, resulting in his hands cupping his cheeks. He still didn't show too much emotion, just concentrating on getting the golden fur dry as much as possible.

His smile grew, trying to encourage the other to smile too, but mainly because he was rubbing his cheeks. He couldn't help but blush a little at this - thankfully not enough to shine through his fur. And with him... liking him, it didn't help the situation. His eyes slowly flickered up to look at Alister's face.

He stopped what he was doing, looking back at Ratchet, feeling the other's cheeks heat up a little too. Strange. Why did they do that? Unless the younger just felt hot again, maybe the cloth needed wetting again. Nevertheless, he still smiled gently back before pulling his hands back, placing them back in his lap.

A quiet exhale escaped out of his nose. _There's that smile I was waiting for..._

Alister moved his hands so they were under Ratchet's arms, lifting him up to make him sit up. He then reorganized the pillows so it would be more comfortable for the golden Lombax. Very gently pushing on his shoulders, he moved Ratchet back so his back was resting against the pillows behind him - a pillow was even moved high enough for his head to lean against. After that, he turned his upper body again, reaching for the cup on the night table. _Good. It's still hot enough._ He carefully faced the other again, passing the mug to Ratchet. "Here. Drink up. It should help."

Ratchet looked down at the mug in his hands, raising an eyebrow as well as tilting his head a little. "What is it?" It looked like coffee or tea but had a slight orange tint to it, making him think if it was something different.

He chuckled lightly. "It's Breegus tea - a bitter tea with the sweetness of nectar from a Breegus plant. Makes an excellent cup of tea. I always think it helps with headaches, so I thought it'll be best for you to try some."

"Oh..." He swore he remembered the elder mentioning something along those lines back in the caves on the way to the Obsidian Eye on planet Lumos. Glancing back down at the cup in his gentle grasp, he slowly raised it to his mouth. Taking a small sip, his ears perked up. The taste spread across his tongue; at first it was a little bitter but then the sweetness came not long after. "Mmmm..." He closed his eyes, enjoying the tea.

The elder Lombax smiled again at the other's reaction. _Heh. Knew he'd like it._ Silence landed around them again, while Ratchet drank his tea slowly - feeling a little nervous knowing that Alister was looking at him. The quiet atmosphere around them was broken when Azimuth spoke up once more. "Are you... hungry at all...? I can batch something up quickly for you..."

The mug was lowered from his lips, looking over at the other slightly. "Uhh..." A sudden growl from his stomach answered Alister's question, causing Ratchet to blush in embarrassment - and hearing the General chuckle again made him go even redder. "H-Heh... T-That'll be great, thanks..."

"Heh, alright. Is there anything pacific you want?"

"Hmmmm..." He glanced up at the ceiling slightly before turning back to the other. "Surprise me." A little grin appeared on his face.

"Fair enough." Alister stood back up, starting to head towards the door. Before leaving the room, he turned back to face the younger. "Just stay in bed while I'm gone." After that he disappeared out the bedroom.

His attention was brought back to the tea once the elder had gone, taking another sip. _Wonder what he's going to make..._ He then glanced out the window as much as he could from where he was sitting. _Well, it seems like mid-afternoon... So it could be anything. Although I hope it's something I'll like._ Another sip was taken. The tea really did help with the headache - soothing it and calming down the throbbing.

He still felt really hot though. Noticing that the window wasn't open either made him want to get out of the bed and get some fresh air; getting some air could help relax his head too. "Hmm... Might as well..."

Ratchet put the mug back on the night table, slipping his legs out from under the covers while placing his feet on the floorboards. Carefully, he stood up, holding his spinning head to try and stop the dizziness getting any worse. Steadily his legs walked him over to the window, emeralds looking at how to open it. He noticed a handle to the side, a grin forming over his lips once again. "Bingo."  
One of his hands gripped it, slowly turning the handle, opening the window. The chilly breeze hit his face straight away, letting out an abrupt gasp from his mouth. Shivers ran right through his small, bare body.

Quickly shutting the window, he rubbed his arms after. _I didn't know it got that cold here..._ Probably explains why the house isn't that warm. He moved away from the window, heading back towards the bed encase the General came back into the room at any sudden point.

Pulling back the covers on the bed, he climbed back in; leaning back against the pillows and putting the blankets over him once more to keep warm. Ratchet grabbed the cup of tea, taking another sip. "This is so nice..."

It was about twenty minutes later until the other had come back into the bedroom, holding a tray of food for the younger. He stepped over to the bed, laying the tray on Ratchet's lap. On the tray was a plate full of scrambled egg on toast, and a small bowl of fruit was there too, along with a glass of water. "It's nothing fancy but it'll fill you up until dinner." Azimuth looked to the side, unsure what to do now.

A smile appeared on his face. "Well, it looks great, General. Thanks for this." The knife and fork was picked up before cutting a piece of the toast, putting it and some scrambled egg into his mouth. Slowly chewing, he closed his eyes, enjoying the tastes. He had never known this type of meal could be done so wonderfully. Not long after he swallowed, humming slightly. His ears perked up a little, hearing the other speak up.

"Seems like someone likes that..."

Now he looked to the side a bit, light blush just about shining through his golden fur. "W-Well... It is nice..."

"Heh, that's good to know then." Alister looked over at the window, noticing that it was getting a little dark and the sun disappearing. "Hmmm..." He then stood up from the bed, heading over to the window to close the curtains. Stepping over to the switch on the wall by the door and turning it on, the lights came on in the room. "There. That's better."

He swallowed more of the food, looking over to the other after. "Does it get dark here quickly then or something?" A grape was picked up, popping it into his mouth a second later.

Amber eyes glanced back at the younger in the bed. "Depends what time of year it is and where you are on the planet. But here at this time of year, yes, it does get dark early. Only because it is winter on this part of Torren IV right now, so the nights get extremely cold sometimes."

"Ah..." _That makes sense as to why it is so cold outside too then._ Ratchet then went back to eating.

This time, ten minutes passed before the golden Lombax was finished his meal, licking his lips after. "Mmmmm... That was soooo good. Thanks, General." The knife and fork was placed onto the plate, leaning back into the pillows again while letting out a peaceful exhale and closing his eyes once more. If his tail wasn't under the covers, then it would be flickering happily on the bed.

A very small smile touched the elder's face. "You're welcome, Ratchet." The tray was picked up off of the other's lap. "I'll just take this away for you." Walking back over to the door after finishing his sentence. Before leaving once again, he looked back at the other. "Get some rest. It'll do you some good right now." With that, he left the room, clicking the door shut behind him.

Golden ears fell against his head slightly, sighing lightly too. Moving the pillows again so he can rest his head on them while laying down, he scooted forward on the bed a little, resting back on the bed. His eyes stared at the ceiling. _I still can't believe this is real... It seems too much like a dream right now, even though everything around me feels so life-like..._ He shook his head. No, it must be true or one of his dreams would have come real by now. Another exhale. _If only... If only..._

And with that, emeralds gradually hid themselves behind eyelids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **FIIIIIINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER DONE.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Anyway, I know it's not that much of an interesting chapter, so just enjoy it until the story does.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Ratchet, Alister (c) Insomniac Games  
> **  
>  Story, writing (c) Me  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> **So here's this weird dream I had, decided to make it in to a story - thought it would be quite fun to write. ^^ Anyway, I think you can guess where it's been set, what's happening so far. So, all I need to say was that I hope you enjoyed this first chapter; more shall be on it's way, all I need is time.**
> 
> **Ratchet & Clank (c) Insomniac Games  
> Writing (c) Me**


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